In the weeks before the Supreme Court issued its ruling, the transgender girl who challenged West Virginia’s ban on her participation on girls’ sports teams won first place in the shot put at the state high school track and field championships. Becky Pepper-Jackson, now a 15-year-old high school sophomore, also placed fourth in discus in the May 26 competition.
Her success prompted criticism from the state’s governor, who said the outcome underscored the need for the state law barring transgender females from joining girls’ and women’s sports teams. Gov. Patrick Morrissey, a Republican, did not name Ms. Pepper-Jackson, but she is believed to be the only person in the state to whom the restrictions apply.
The outcome of the championship, the governor wrote on Facebook, “confirms the fundamental unfairness of letting boys compete in girls’ sports. It’s just plain wrong to allow a boy to participate and win a girls’ sporting event.”
“I’m confident that our West Virginia case will ultimately prevail at the Supreme Court and expect we will hear more definitively soon,” he added.
Ms. Pepper-Jackson was 11 years old and a mediocre runner when she initially sued the state over its law. In legal filings, her lawyers described how she routinely finished “near the back of the pack” in cross-country races. Her improvement on the field and decision to take up shot put and discus made her case more challenging.
The high school activities commission that organized the competition at the University of Charleston also issued a statement in response to questions about Ms. Pepper-Jackson’s victory, saying that she had competed under a federal court order, which the association “fully complies with.”
The West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission said it would have no additional comment until after the Supreme Court ruled “and the organization has had the opportunity to review it.”
